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Possum drops this year?
- Thread starter GA-Silver
- Start date
Not unless I can still be in bed by 9:00
HAHA! Had to look possum drop up. Ranks right there with the time I found out what a piney woods rooter was while standing in the local ACE Hardware. The conversation started with the local man stating "boy you ain't from around here are ya".
Brasstown Drop
[edit]
Clay's Corner, home of the Possum Drop, in Brasstown, NCBrasstown's Possum Drop was initially hosted at Clay's Corner, a convenience store owned by Clay and Judy Logan. The event featured the lowering of a live opossum in a plexiglass cage from the store's roof.[2] Despite its name suggesting otherwise, the opossum was not physically dropped; rather, it descended gradually, akin to the descent of a time ball. Following the descent, the opossum was released unharmed.[3]
The festivities included a contest with men dressed as women to compete for the title of "Miss Possum Queen". Additionally, there were performances of bluegrass music, snacks, refreshments, and the opportunity to purchase souvenir merchandise.[4][5]
The Possum Drop started in 1990, featuring a ceramic opossum lowered in a fish bowl.[6] In the following year, a live opossum, specifically captured for the occasion, was used.[4] However, ahead of the 2004 Possum Drop, protests from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals led to a modification in practice. Consequently, roadkill was used for the possum drops from 2004 onwards. [7]
After the retirement of Clay and Judy Logan, the event moved to nearby Andrews, North Carolina, for the 2018-2019 edition. However, this relocation was met with controversy due to an unfortunate incident during the event. The opossum involved sustained an injury, resulting in a broken leg that required amputation. Subsequently, lawsuits by PETA and appeals from concerned citizens to state authorities ensued, and the decision was made to stop the Possum Drop. Since then, the event has not been held. [1]
Tallapoosa Drop
[edit]In the late 1990s, Tallapoosa town organizers created a New Year's Eve event based on a historical reference to the town given by old settlers, Possum Snout. For this event, they opted to use a taxidermy opossum provided by local career taxidermists Bud and Jackie Jones.[8]
A view from the stage on NYE in Tallapoosa, GA at The Possum DropSpencer, the taxidermy opossum, was suspended in a wire ball adorned with Christmas lights and positioned at ground level for the majority of the night to facilitate viewing and photography by spectators.
At 11:30 pm, he was raised to the top of one of the city's tallest buildings. Then, at midnight, he was slowly lowered to the ground, to symbolize the start of the new year. Spencer's name is a tribute to Ralph L. Spencer, a prominent 19th-century businessman recognized for his contribution to the town's economic growth.[9][10]
TLC filmed the New Year's special of their show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo at the Possum Drop in Tallapoosa.[11]
